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Doncaster prisoners could sue government over exposure to radon gas

Inmates complain of rashes and fever, echoing the events that led Dartmoor jail to close last year

Richard Palmer,  Observer 20th April 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/20/doncaster-prisoners-could-sue-government-over-exposure-to-radon-gas

The government faces further potential legal action over concerns about levels of radon gas at a second prison, after Dartmoor jail was forced to close.

Ministry of Justice officials have ordered radon detection equipment to be installed at Lindholme prison near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, where prisoners have reported ­feeling unwell with symptoms such as ­headaches, rashes and fever.

There are concerns about the risks of inhaling radioactive particles that can cause lung cancer.

Radon, a naturally occurring gas, is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking in the UK. There are concerns that the levels in Lindholme could be several times over the domestic safety limit.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “Radon monitoring is in place at HMP Lindholme as a ­precautionary measure.” No prisoners have been moved out of the jail.

Last week, the Observer revealed that about 500 former inmates and staff at Dartmoor are taking legal action after being exposed to what they claim were dangerously high levels of radon for years until the prison was closed for safety reasons last summer.

Kesar and Co, the law firm representing them, is also representing prisoners who have been in Lindholme. Violeta Hansen, a Danish radon expert advising the Dartmoor prisoners, said it had been known since at least 1987 that the area had high levels of radon, which is formed by decaying uranium found in rocks and soils, and jail staff had been ­monitoring levels inside the prison since 2010.

“They knew a long time ago they had a radon issue,” she said. “Why didn’t they do anything until 2024 when they did a risk assessment?”

Britain’s prison system is struggling with overcrowding and it is a logistical challenge to rehouse prisoners, such as the 941 at Lindholme.

Ben Leapman, editor of Inside Time, a free prisoners’ newspaper owned by the charity the New Bridge Foundation, which first reported the health scare at Lindholme, said there were only 553 places free across the men’s prison estate in England and Wales last week.

He said the radon levels in the prison were a cause for concern, not least because prisoners spent so long in their cells. “Even today, a lot of prisoners are locked in their cells for 22 hours a day because there isn’t enough work or courses to keep them busy,” he said.

April 21, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, UK